Les Mills Snr, Who Built a Fitness Empire Through Licensing, Dies at 91

Les Mills Snr, a New Zealand Olympian and founder of Les Mills International, died in June 2026 at 91. Rather than owning gyms, he licensed his choreography, music, and instructor training to gym operators worldwide—a B2B model that treats fitness more like media than real estate. This approach enabled rapid global expansion and positioned his company as a blueprint for scaling consumer services through intellectual property.